DOE Ditches ARIS, Launches Easy-To-Use Program To Access School Records Online

Goodbye ARIS, hello NYC Schools.

Thanks to a new mobile-friendly service, announced by Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña today, parents will soon be able to access their kids’ academic records with the click of a button.

The program, which parents can sign up for starting June 8, will give families the ability to view student information — like grades, attendance records and progress reports — on mobile devices, allowing parents to become critical partners in their children’s education.

Student information will be available in 10 languages and will enable parents to see information they formerly found in ARIS, a system that cost the Department of Education [DOE] $95 million between 2007 and 2014, but was heavily underused. In the 2012-2013 school year, only 3 percent of parents logged in. The NYC Schools account was designed in-house for less than $2 million and will cost under $4 million for further development and maintenance over the next four years.

“This exciting new tool will empower families by delivering them timely information in a format that is easy to read on a mobile device – which is how so many of today’s parents access the Internet,” said Fariña. “This continues our effort to engage parents across all mediums by meeting them where they are. By launching NYC Schools accounts, we are encouraging parents to become more involved in their children’s education and hold themselves and their students accountable for progress.”

When the NYC Schools accounts are released next week, families will be able to view current attendance records, student profiles, and the contact information on file at their school. Final report card grades will be online when they are issued at the end of the school year. State test scores for math, English Language Arts, and Regents exams will be available after they are released by the state. Historical data, such as previous years’ grades and scores, will also be added later in 2015.

Parents must register for an account at their child’s school, where their identities can be verified, using a personal email account. To ensure the privacy of information, all student data is encrypted. The system is entirely built and maintained by the DOE and no outside entity or vendor has access. The DOE will provide guidance to school leaders on communicating with parents on how to register and is scheduling parent workshops for the summer. There will also be a built-in comment feature, allowing DOE to gather feedback to improve user experience.

The DOE has also recently released two tools for school staff that will allow school leaders across the city to more easily and accurately measure student progress and use those findings to improve their schools. Principals and teachers will be able to identify and support struggling students earlier than ever before, identify and address performance trends at their schools, and track current and former students’ progress over time.

How do you create an NYC Schools account?

• Beginning June 8, visit your child’s school, or call the school to schedule an appointment to create an account. You must be the child’s parent or legal guardian and live at the same address as the child to create the account.

• When you go to the school, be sure to bring: a valid photo ID (such as a passport, driver’s license, state ID, or IDNYC), your child’s 9-digit NYC student ID number (which you can find on your child’s academic records, including a report card), and a valid email address.

Once you’ve signed up for an account, you can sign into it from a computer, phone or tablet by visiting the NYC Schools website.

For more information, you can go here.